# In "Lawrence of Arabia"... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 11, 2008, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-lawrence-of-arabia/472144 "2008-11-11T02:30:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2008, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-lawrence-of-arabia/472144/1 "2008-11-11T02:30:18Z")
… why does Gasim wander off into the desert without his camel? I don’t get it. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2008, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-lawrence-of-arabia/472144/2 "2008-11-11T02:40:08Z")
He didn’t walk away. He fell asleep, fell off the camel and since nobody noticed, he was left behind. ETA: the group couldn’t turn around to find him without putting themselves in danger by lingering on that spot of the desert. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2008, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-lawrence-of-arabia/472144/3 "2008-11-11T02:49:24Z")
That explains it. And now I realize why I didn’t get it. I fell asleep for a few minutes while watching, and when I woke up… Another LoA question. When they all start off across the Nafud to take Aqaba from the land, where did they start off at? Longitude and Latitude, please. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2008, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-lawrence-of-arabia/472144/4 "2008-11-11T03:26:28Z")
I think they started from somewhere near Medina, but I’m not sure exactly where. I do know that they used the Wadi Sirhan region as a base, having paid an enormous amount of gold (something like 6,000 pounds of it) for permission. Perhaps Lawrence’s _Revolt In The Desert_ would contain the exact information you seek. There was an excellent [new edition published earlier this year](http://www.amazon.com/Revolt-Desert-T-E-Lawrence/dp/1846774209/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226373924&sr=8-1). ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2008, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-lawrence-of-arabia/472144/5 "2008-11-11T05:07:07Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > I think they started from somewhere near Medina . . . Which, FYI, is neither funky nor cold. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2008, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-lawrence-of-arabia/472144/6 "2008-11-11T07:14:31Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Which, FYI, is neither funky nor cold. tru dat… this is the kickin’ it old school Medina, which is a lot less fun the [Funky Cold Medina](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zligio51yP4) ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2008, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-lawrence-of-arabia/472144/7 "2008-11-11T16:38:37Z")
Lawrence Lawrence of Arabia He’s an English guy He came to fight the Turkish ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2008, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-lawrence-of-arabia/472144/8 "2008-11-11T16:53:03Z")
> [@Jeff](#): > > He didn’t walk away. He fell asleep, fell off the camel and since nobody noticed, he was left behind. > > ETA: the group couldn’t turn around to find him without putting themselves in danger by lingering on that spot of the desert. This is correct. During the night ride you actually do see one man (don’t know whether it was Gassim) fall off of his camel. The camel contentedly continues walking, and the guy, awakened by his fall, has to run to catch up and climb back onto the saddle. Ali also has to remind Lawrence against falling asleep. “Be warned, English. You were drifting.” ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2008, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-lawrence-of-arabia/472144/9 "2008-11-11T17:44:25Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Lawrence > Lawrence of Arabia > He’s an English guy > He came to fight the Turkish What’s next the one armed violinist. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2008, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-lawrence-of-arabia/472144/10 "2008-11-11T17:49:45Z")
> [@Fiddle\_Peghead](#): > > That explains it. And now I realize why I didn’t get it. I fell asleep for a few minutes while watching, and when I woke up… Good thing you were not on a camel, my friend. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2008, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-lawrence-of-arabia/472144/11 "2008-11-11T18:45:27Z")
And why do they call the camel the Ship of the Desert? 🙂 Because it’s full of Arab semen! ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2008, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-lawrence-of-arabia/472144/12 "2008-11-11T20:17:34Z")
Because it was written. in the screenplay. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2008, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-lawrence-of-arabia/472144/13 "2008-11-11T21:56:20Z")
> [@Kizarvexius](#): > > The camel contentedly continues walking, I think that’s more like “viciously”, “snidely”, “Sneakily”, “Like A Bastard” or something rather than “contentedly” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2008, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-lawrence-of-arabia/472144/14 "2008-11-11T22:29:13Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > Because it was written. > … > in the screenplay. Truly, for some men nothing is written unless _they_ write it.